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Commerce and Industry
Patents
The Patents Ordinance provides for the grant of standard patents based on corresponding patents granted by one of three designated patent offices, namely the State Intellectual Property Office of China, United Kingdom Patent Office, and European Patent Office in respect of patents designating the United Kingdom. It also provides for the grant of short-term patents upon formality examination. The Patents Registry received 13,299 standard patent applications and 693 short-term patent applications in 2017. It granted 6,671 standard patents and 582 short-term patents, representing an increase of 17.1 per cent and 20 per cent respectively compared with 2016.
The government is making preparations to put the Patents (Amendment) Ordinance 2016 into effect following the enactment of the ordinance, which provides for a fundamental legal framework to reform the local patent system and establish an original grant patent system. The new patent system will facilitate Hong Kong's development into an intellectual property trading hub and a regional innovation and technology hub.
Registered Designs
In 2017, the Designs Registry received 2,609 applications for the registration of 4,816 designs and registered 4,604 designs, a 3.9 per cent increase from 2016.
Copyright
The Copyright Ordinance protects literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, typographical arrangements of published editions, sound recordings, films, broadcasts, cable programmes and performers' performances irrespective of the domicile of the copyright owners. In line with international practice, there is no requirement to register copyright.
Enforcement
The Customs and Excise Department enforces criminal sanctions against the infringement of intellectual property rights. It investigates reports of copyright infringement and trade mark counterfeiting; maintains licensing control on all optical disc and stamper factories; and takes action against the manufacture, distribution, sale, import and export of pirated and counterfeit goods and possession for business use.
In addition to targeted raids, officers carry out intensive and high-profile patrols in high-risk areas to deter the peddling of pirated and counterfeit goods, including street sales. In 2017, the department arrested 145 people in 115 piracy cases and confiscated goods, mostly pirated optical discs, worth $11.3 million. It also seized counterfeit goods worth $107 million and arrested 657 people in 866 cases of forged trade marks.
Customs-Business Partnership
To help effective enforcement against piracy and counterfeiting activities, the department liaises closely with businesses to promote protection of intellectual property rights.
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